One of the most commonly used types of conveyor belts for carrying diverse products along both straight and horizontally curved paths is a grid conveyor belt. Examples of conventional grid conveyor belts are the Cam-Grid® and the heavy duty Cam-Grid® conveyor belts available from Cambridge, Inc., the assignee of the present invention. A grid conveyor belt, as shown generally in U.S. Pat. No. 6,354,432, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference, includes a plurality of spaced transverse rods slidably interconnected by at least two rows of U-shaped connecting links, i.e., the tension bearing members, disposed respectively along the inner and outer edges of the rods. The terminal ends of the transverse rods are formed into enlarged heads or button heads which retain the links on the rods and welds are then provided to secure the link to the button head and to the rod, thereby preventing rotational movement of the links on the transverse rods. The connecting links are disposed in a nested relationship relative to one another with slots being provided in the links in order to slidably receive the transverse rods.
Grid conveyor belts of this type have met with overwhelming market approval because of their ability to travel in straight line conveyor paths as well as in curved conveyor paths, thus making grid conveyor belts ideal for use on spiral cage conveyors. However, when the belt is in need of repair due to breakage or maintenance, the presence of the button head ends and welded ends requires the use of special tools such as a grinder and bolt cutter and welding in order to part an endless belt or to reconnect or splice two separate ends of a belt. In addition, special threaded connector rods with end nuts have to be used to replace the rods with the button head ends when performing repair/maintenance in the field.
Flat wire conveyor belts have also been in the market for many years, as shown for example in U.S. Pat. No. 2,619,306, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. Flat wire conveyor belts are generally low maintenance and when positively driven with sprockets have little to no lateral shifting. With reference to FIG. 1, there is disclosed a flat wire conveyor belt 10 comprising a plurality of pickets 12, sometimes also referred to as wickets, and interconnecting rods 14 about which the pickets hinge. The pickets of the belt define the tension bearing members and support the product to be conveyed and the rods are utilized to hold the components of belt together. This type of flat wire conveyor belts also utilize upset rod ends 16, i.e., button head shaped ends, for rod retention. The compression between the pickets keep them from moving inward of the button head ends, while the button head ends prevent the pickets from moving outwardly. Flat wire conveyor belts of this type can also be used in both straight and turn applications. A second type of flat wire conveyor belt 10′, as shown in FIG. 2, utilizes mechanically clinched rod ends 16′ for rod retention. These type of belts are used only in straight run applications.
Flat wire conveyor belts have similarly met with long term market approval. However, when the belt is in need of repair due to breakage or maintenance, the presence of the button head or clinched rod ends requires the use of special tools such as a grinder or bolt cutters and welding or special hand tools in order to part an endless belt or to reconnect or splice two separate ends of a belt. In addition, special threaded or partially clinched connector rods with end nuts have to be used to replace the rods when performing repair/maintenance in the field.
While market trends are dictating that improvements be made to reduce conveyor system down time, employers are finding that maintenance resources are decreasing in both quantity and skill base. Accordingly, there exists a need in the marketplace for a flat wire conveyor belt having a connector rod that can quickly and easily be used to splice together and repair a conveyor belt with a minimal use of tools or skill.